Mussels with Spiked Coconut Milk

This is yum..., especially with Green Lipped Mussels.. (taken from Kate Fraser's book "Cooking with Zest")

Ingredients:

2 wine glasses of dry cider
1 dried lime leaf or 3 fresh lime leaves
2kg mussels
1 Tbsp light, flavourless (grapeseed or rice bran) cooking oil
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and shredded
1 mild chilli, deseeded and diced
1 small knob ginger, grated
1 cup coconut milk
1 lime - juice and zest
1 Tbsp chopped coriander

Clean the mussel shells if they need it.

Bring the cider and lime leaves to a fast simmer and tip in the mussels. Cover and cook on fast heat until mussels open wide. Shake the pan occasionally.

Remove each mussel as it opens and drain in a colander over a bowl - saving the liquid.

Strain the cooking liquor back into the pan, remove the lime leaves, add the drained mussel juices, and cook quickly until the liquid is reduced by about half.

Heat the oil in a small pan, add the garlic, the diced chilli and giner. Cook gently until soft, put aside for a minute or two.

Add the coconut milk to the reduced cooking liquid, stir in the garlic, chilli and ginger mix.

Remove the mussels from the shells and add to the spicy coconut milk mix.

Take the zest off the lime and squeeze the juice. Add to the mussels.

Top with chopped coriander and lime zest. Serve in deep bowls over noodles, or with bread to mop up the spiky lime cream.

Enjoy....

Herbed Mini Muffins

These were sooooo yummy - I cut them in half and put some cream cheese and smoked salmon in..!! The recipe has been taken from Alison Holst's book "Marvellous Muffins".

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup (100g) grated tasty/cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs
1 spring onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 egg
1/2 cup & 2 Tbsp milk

Measure together into a large bowl the first 9 ingredients. Use whatever fresh herbs you like best, or whichever will go well with fillings or toppings. (Use dill for salmon, basil for smoked meat.) Toss well to mix.

In another bowl, beat the egg and milk together with a fork or whisk.

Tip the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together, stirring just enough to dampen the flour, etc.

Spoon mixture into 18-24 mini-muffin tins which have been evenly coated with Chef Mate non-stick spray.

Bake at 200 degrees Centigrade for 10-12 minutes, until the centres spring back when pressed.